Casino gambling involves many different games of chance. Many games involve playing cards that are used in some form of competition with the casino or against other players. In the most popular casino games, players compete against the casino, the games are fast-paced, provide more than one opportunity to win and the bets are resolved quickly. Generally, the shorter the time between placing a bet and the winning of a hand, the more popular the game.
Some casino card games are variations on poker, blackjack or baccarat in which winning hands are determined according to generally accepted rules of card value and rank. In baccarat and blackjack, the face cards are assigned numerical values. In blackjack, the object is to beat the dealer by scoring more than the dealer, but no more than twenty one. Additionally, blackjack may produce more than one winning hand during a round of play. Baccarat is a scoring game wherein the players play against each other in an effort to score as close to nine as possible. In poker, various combinations of cards determine the winner of each round and there is only one winning hand in each round of play.
Popular casino games based on the strategy and card priority of poker provide multiple opportunities to win. Caribbean Stud, a five-card poker game currently played in casinos, provides more than one chance to win with a particular hand. A limitation on the play of Caribbean Stud is the requirement for the dealer to have a qualifying hand, e.g., Ace-King. A player's hand may be a winner, but the player may lose the opportunity to receive a large payout because the dealer did not receive a qualifying hand.
Another popular casino game comparable to Caribbean Stud is Let It Ride, a game based on poker strategy and card priority. In the play of Let It Ride, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,462, three cards are dealt to the player and two to the dealer. The player then combines his cards with the dealer's cards to produce a poker hand. Let It Ride is popular because of its fast-paced play, simple strategies, the opportunity to participate in an additional jackpot and multiple opportunities to win in the same hand.
A limitation on the play of Let It Ride is the apparent complexity of the betting. Three bets are placed on each hand with two of the bets being resolved, or withdrawn by the player, during three stages of play. A fourth bet is a bonus jackpot bet and is forfeited if the player does not receive a bonus hand. A prospective player must overcome his reluctance to wager three times on one hand to begin play. The option to withdraw a portion of the wager is not productive for the casino--the player is allowed to take back a portion of the bet that has already been committed.
The highest ranked poker hand is a winner for both Caribbean Stud and Let It Ride. Based on the method of betting, both games allow multiple opportunities to win, and generally meet the requirements for a popular casino game. However, the dealer-qualifying requirement of Caribbean Stud and the complexities of the betting requirements of Let It Ride are discouraging to the average player.
Other wagering card game methods are known. For example in Padukee, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,414, the player places two bets plus a bonus jackpot wager.